


The Swan and the Mills and the Hook in between

by SQDrabbles



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 15:42:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8758996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SQDrabbles/pseuds/SQDrabbles
Summary: AU Regina, bartender extraordinaire, flirts with a blonde who freaks out after a shared kiss. She comes back home to find that said blonde is dating her friend/lawyer "Hook". Sheriff Swan & Lawyer Hook & Bartender Mills.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you thank you thank youuuuu Moriah @afearlessevil for editing it, much appreciated <3 Really helped me in a tight spot. Also N & M, thank you so much for glancing through it. Thank you for SQ SuperNova team for hosting this and answering all my incessant questions. 
> 
> The cover for this stroy could be found here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/8822242  
> Thank you Abatnoir for such a beautiful cover I'm in love!! 
> 
> Inspired by a SwanQueen vine 
> 
> Would love love LOVE any feedback <3

**1.**

One knew coming to Regina Mill's bar, "The Swan" would mean coming to an establishment in which a clean bar is provided, but still alive and thrumming with music and filled with a vibrant energy. Though it was mostly a place to relax after work. There are a lot of men – and ladies, who come in just to see Regina Mills, bartender extraordinaire. Her sense of class, and sly smirk as she flips bottles have more than a few people sighing. She has no qualms flirting with her customers and even more than once taking them home. But she makes it clear when a no is a no and is strict in her play.

So it comes as a surprise to the woman herself when this harried blonde comes strolling in, feeling an instant attraction to her. The blonde is not even paying attention to anyone around her, or even seeming to realize she is in a bar. Unlike those who come in and get a drink as soon as they step through the door, this one just takes a seat at the bar and looks around in wonder. She's definitely an out of towner. Her bar might seem out of sorts with its clean cut style and spacious room filled compared to the usual bars. But it still gets rowdy and crowded at times, as it is today. It's enough to keep Regina from approaching the woman instantly. 

The blonde carries herself confidently and seemingly built, as Regina notices the muscles under the woman's coat. Regina has had a thing for certain blondes in the past, but usually they are the first ones to make a move. She shrugs it off and goes back to her work, the lady she was serving noticing the change. But Regina distracts her, and moves down the counter, serving everyone until she reaches the blonde.

"What do you want to drink, dear?"

"Ah. I'll have a spritzer." She replies, smiling. Her eyes don't leave Regina as she prepares the drink. Regina can’t help but to add some tricks to it, successfully making the blonde smile just a bit at it.

"Are you driving?" Regina muses after serving the drink. She would have made a more obvious comment, but she doesn't want to push away the blonde just yet.

"Ah. I'm still working. Better not to get drunk." The woman chuckles.

"I see. Well, let me know if you want anything else." Regina winks, mentally slapping herself for such a cheesy move. But the blonde just nods and with steady eyes takes a drink and watches Regina goes back to handling the counter.

Regina senses the blonde stops staring at her from her corner when another person joins the blonde, and between them they somehow comes to the conclusion they need some more drinks. They start ordering more, and Regina watches amused for awhile before heading to the back to get more bottles.

Being the boss, she didn't have to be there every night. But she loved being on the job, interacting with all the customers, and perhaps in some kind of retaliation against her mother (and it was so much fun) to flirt with all the ladies in the bar. (Single people only– so that fiasco with the married man will never happen again).

It was close to one in the morning when she heads back to the counter, the bar now filled with fewer people, but drinks still flowing. She blinks in surprise when the blonde is still there, cheeks red and eyes bright as she watches her friend dance.

"On the clock and drunk? Oh my, I see my bar has a bad influence on you." She teases.

"Don't worry, lady, I clocked out –" She glances to the clock on the wall, then back with a grin. "an hour ago. Wow, I didn't realize the time."

Regina smiles as she flips the shaker, "That’s the point of entering a bar, dear."

"Isn't that supposed to be a casino thing?"

"Hm. Perhaps. But then how would I keep you in my bar?"

"A name would work."

Regina raises her brow, laughing. "I'm the owner of this bar. Regina Mills, at your service."

"Regina." The blonde hums out the name, closing her eyes and swaying in her seat. She opens her eyes again and fixes them on Regina. "I like it."

Regina laughs, sliding down the drink she prepared for the customer at the end of the counter. If the blonde looked impressed, well, that was part of the goal of showing off. "It wasn't there for you to like, but nonetheless good to know."

"You look so pretty when you laugh." The blonde comments, and then comically widens her eyes, giggling drunkenly. "I wasn't supposed to say that out loud." She sighs. Regina cuts down on the flirting, sensing this customer isn't sure of herself or aware of herself to take her seriously.

"Mhm. I think your friend should hail you a cab." Regina murmurs. As much as she enjoyed the blonde's presence, it was clearly time for her to find her way home, as well as for her to start closing the bar down.

"Shes – " The blonde looks about, squinting. "Huh. She was just here. Do you have a phone booth? My phones dead and Ruby was supposed to.." waves her arm around, then sits up formally for a second. "I would like to request the usage of your phone, ma'am."

"Well that’s a new way to ask for my number." Regina smirks, but gets out her phone. She hands it to the blonde, who despite her drunkenness seems to be able to type in the local taxi number.

"Better not to drive there drunk." She mutters under her breath, then looks up to Regina after calling. "Thank you, Mills."

"Your welcome, dear." She slips over a bottle of water to the blonde, then moves on to the lingering customers. Once she's sure no ones left at the counter, she moves back to the blonde, who has seem to finish the bottle of water and looking more aware of her surroundings.

"How are you liking your first time experience here?" Regina asks as she wipes the counter, finding something to do with her hands as she tries to keep talking to the blonde.

"How do you know it is my first time?"

"Oh, I know who comes and goes in my bar."

"It's okay." The blonde leans over the counter, eyes darkening. "The bartender is not that bad."

"Not that bad?" Regina scoffs, daringly reaching over and taps the woman's nose. "You'll have to do better than that."

The woman laughs, eyes crinkling in confusion. "Better for what?"

"To get my attention." Regina smirks, ignoring calls from her employees that there closing up.

"I think I already got it." The blonde smiles with mirth.

"Oh? Are you sure about that?" She finds the blonde leaning in closer, her face betraying her and heating up.

"Definitely." She says with such a childish glee, licking her lips. It seems so natural for her to lean in and kiss Regina, her lips so soft and hesitant against hers. She kisses back then, surprised by her own behavior. She usually is more reserved than this, but she finds herself being pulled into the kiss, moving from gentle to deep and wanting. She breaks the kiss to take a breath, grinning and finding the blonde's eyes close, opening with lust in them.

"Would you like to continue, this?" Regina whispers, eyes so focused on the woman's lips, she misses the change in her expression.

"Shit! I gotta go." With wide, startled eyes the blonde quickly stands, spilling her drink on the table. "I'm sorry, I just – this is a mistake." and she makes a quick dash out, like some kind of Cinderella, the bar version. Regina looks on in surprise, her lips still tingling from their kiss.

She would have chased after her but, well, she's never been much of a chaser, or ever been ditched mid-kiss.

**2.**

  
Finally, she got to close the bar, after calling a cab for one guy that was too drunk to leave on his own. The night was cold enough for a sweater, but she kept striding on, answering the hellos and hollers of people passing by. She’s well known, and despite her cold exterior while working, she was much loved and popular in the neighborhood. She still felt energized, despite her interaction with the blonde.

The haughty upbeat posture dissolves as soon as the door closes behind her though, creating a hushed quietness in the room, one that she welcomes. Letting her shoulders relax, she neatly takes off her heels, leaning against the wall as she pulls off one then the other, piling them tidily at the door.

She truly never felt at home until she was in the apartment, the only place that released all the energy she gathered over the hours from the bar. The lights were already off, no sign of her roommate crowding their living room. Stumbling in the dark, feeling her way for the light switch, she then realizes what time it is. She can feel her mother chastising her at being such a vagabond, entering her own home at such a late hour. What would the neighbors think, (if she actually had any neighbors). She can just hear her mother’s disappointed note at how graceless she is, making her way through the darkened room to the kitchen, years of lessons on walking straight down the drain. She mumbles a rebuttal to the ghost in her head - that is lost in the clanging of pots. She looks for the culprit, struggling to focus in the dark. It clicks then that the drop of her bag causes the clanging. Squinting, she can make out a set of pots and pans on the counter, one filled with leftover spaghetti, another with some kind of tomato paste.

She swears Killian’s name, groaning when she tries to lift her bag, only to have tomato paste splatter all over. She grumbles about roommates leaving cooked meals in pots on the counter, and her bag now residing in one of them. If she wasn’t tired, maybe she would have cared. But for now she just fishes out her phone and wallet, feeling strands of noodle coming with. Her roommate doesn’t even come out to check what is causing all the noise.

She strolls quietly past his room, streams of light filtering from the space beneath his door, and sounds of a woman laughing and his own rattling coming through. She makes her way further on, a mini fridge located between their rooms, throat parched. Eyes squinting, she makes out the time on the clock above the fridge. It’s late, surprising that Killian even has someone over this late. A door opens and she glances over, expecting to see the woman leaving. Killian steps out instead, and she waves at him across the room then realizes it is too dark to see when he doesn’t wave back.

“Hey” She whispers across the room. Feeling childish, really, trying to hide herself from a mysterious lady in the other room. It’s her own apartment, but she can’t bring herself to tease him louder, or crash his room. God knows how many times Killian did the same, pranking her and barging into her room when she had someone over.

Most of her one night stands took it in strides, laughing as they sheepishly made their way out. (Except that one time, when her date actually started hitting on Killian while she was still in bed. “Charming” hookup, my ass” She grumbled under her breath while she shoved them both out of her room). He hadn’t meant any harm; he had the tendency of finding ways to get a rise out of Regina. But it still pissed her off. One of the annoying traits of Hook’s that she couldn’t let go of.

And now she had the chance to pay him back for all those times he intruded. Yet she doesn’t make a move for his door. She supposes she could, but felt too old for such childish pranks as his. When he glances over, his eyes widen in surprise but he still smiles when he spots her.

“Hey yourself” he glances back to his room, scratching at his stomach absently. Six abs and not a speck of fat. She supposes she could see the allure, despite the hairy chest. She was, after all, once one of his conquests a long time ago. It’s a wonder they remained friends now.

“Girl over tonight?” Her voice raspy, she takes a swig of water before motioning to his room, raised brow at the thought. Killian may be a player, but he never brings his conquests back to the apartment.

“Yeah” He lets out a sheepish smile, waggling his brows. “We’ll try not to keep you up.” He calls out over his shoulder, bending down as he rummages through the fridge.

“Hm.” With a knowing smirk, she rolls her eyes. She is a heavy sleeper, thankfully. “Let me see her in the morning.”

Killian chuckles and heads back, Regina blanching as she spots the strawberry and cream in hand. There goes her salad tomorrow and any appetite she had felt after work. She makes sure to close her door tight and plays some music to muffle their sounds, just in case. Gin Wigmore’s voice starts filling the room, easing the rest of the tension from the day’s work out of Regina’s body. She tumbles into bed, keeping her work clothes on. She usually sleeps in her satin pajamas, the only luxury she still allows herself from her old life, but is too tired to even undress; her last thought before drifting off is surprisingly of the blonde at the bar.

**3.**

  
Regina wakes up in time to see the blonde. At first she thinks she's dreaming (not a first time to have her dreams chase her to the waking world, with shivers and tightening her grasp on the bed sheet, murmuring please no to her mother) But this time, she could tell its real. The blonde seems to hover about the living room, Regina's door open (Did she not close it last night?) hearing the blonde muttering under her breath. She tries to remember if she actually did bring her home last night after the kiss. But the blonde doesn't come in to say anything to her. She seems to be even avoiding the area close to Regina's room, and just hovers at Hook's door. Then she grabs her bag and makes a quick stride to the door. It's when she reaches for the door does she glance back, then slowly opens it and closes it, trying not to make a sound. A few seconds later Hook strolls into the living room, and that makes it all the more real.

"Ah. Did we wake you? She tried being quiet, she actually didn't want to disturb my roommate. A first, can you imagine?" Hook says, sounding impressed himself. His friends usually don't care for Regina's presence, bashing and clanging about in the kitchen while she tries to sleep. Yet again, he never has brought a girl over before, so perhaps that’s at least one of the perks if Hook starts doing that instead of having his friends over late into the night.

"Oh that was your girl? I thought I recognized her." Regina muses, a yawn escaping her. She was still sleepy. Thankful that as boss she could go in late. Sometimes. It's not like anyone took her attendance, but she wanted to be an example to her co-workers. She gives herself leeway for today, and rubs her eyes tiredly as she pushes back her alarm to ring later on.

"Really? From where?" Hook laughs, stretching against the wall. Flaunting his abs, grinning as Regina rolls her eyes and throws herself back into bed.

"Hmm. Later." Regina nuzzles her pillow, dragging the blanket over her head. It was still too early for her.

"Alright. Sure, love." He has the decency to at least close her door, leaving her be as he gets ready for the day. He always somehow still had the energy to go to work on time no matter who he spent the night with. Unlike Regina, who always finds herself flustered after the one night stands and rushes them out of her room before trying to get to work on time.

She doesn't hear him leave, but thinks of asking him next time if the blonde has been here before as she falls back to sleep.

**4.**

  
A knocking on the door grabs her attention. She stays in bed, drifting off between sleep and wakefulness, until the knocking pulls her back out. She hopes it’s not the landlord; she rather keeps her dealings with him through Hook. When the knocking stops but starts again - a single knock this time, so soft - she strolls towards the door, opening it to see the mysterious lady from the bar.

“Hi” The blonde says with a smile that does not reach her eyes. She stands stiff at the door, showing only a bit of surprise at the sight of Regina.

“Hi again” Regina replies, leaning against the wall with a knowing smile of her own, impressed that the blonde hasn’t squirmed yet. Her hair is probably mussed, her shirt splattered with sauce, but she felt incredibly confident with the way the blonde kept blushing and fumbling with whatever was in her hands. The blonde doesn’t show any sign of familiarity, barely glancing at Regina as she rummages through her bag.

“I forgot my phone here.”

“Oh?” She waits a few minutes to be let in. When Regina doesn’t offer her to enter, she looks up and stares at Regina, raising a brow.

“Can I come in and get it?” The blonde spells it out, nodding her head towards the apartment.

Regina’s smile widens, stretching catlike against the door as she opens it wider. “Ofcourse, ofcourse. Come in and check.” She lets the blonde through, glancing amusedly as the woman strides in purposely, glancing straight on, and ignoring Regina in the process. She heads to the kitchen while the blonde makes a dash to Hook’s room.

“Can I tempt you to a drink?” She calls out after the blonde, smirking at how the woman still avoided her.

“That won’t be necessary.” She says from the other room, head peeking out from the door. The woman forces a smile as she peeks out, glancing at the table. Regina follows her gaze, smiling into her cup. “Your phone is not there. Perhaps you dropped it at the bar? Or in the bed..”

The blonde doesn’t reply, just goes back to searching the bedroom. When she doesn’t come back out again, Regina sighs and tries again at being friendly.

“Are you sure you don’t want anything, dear? I make the best coffee in town.” Regina coaxes, hesitating with the coffee maker. She wonders whats driving her to be even civil with this woman, (despite all the exclamations going on in her head about the kiss in the bar yet the woman ended the night with Hook).

A loud thunk followed by a groan comes from Hook’s room, and Regina guesses she hit her head, probably trying to look under the bed for the missing mobile. She shrugs to herself and leaves her coffee mug at the counter, glancing into the room as she passes by. The woman was bent over the bed, looking through god knows what. Regina just keeps on and heads to her own room. As much as she is curious and amused by the stranger, she had her own day ahead of her to get ready for.

“Found it! I’m surprised you didn’t even ask for ID, or let Killian know. Letting me in easily..” The blonde grumbles, her voice getting louder as she comes closer. Regina doesn’t bother to stop changing as the blonde reaches her open door.

“Killian barely has anything important to steal. And seeing as he’s a lawyer, I doubt you would be stupid enough to steal from him. Since you are the first girl he's brought back home, I think we're on safe grounds...” She says over her shoulder, leaning down to gather her clothes. She keeps changing, sensing the blonde was still at the door. “What I am missing is a name though.”

She quirks a smile as she turns around, finding the other woman studiously gazing at the wall behind her, cheeks defiantly red.

“Emma. Emma Swan.” She relaxes once she glances back and sees that Regina is fully clothed. Poor soul. Regina decides to put the woman out of her misery and properly puts on her sweater, reaching out to shake her hand.

“You’re Regina.” Emma comments, in a tone that Regina got that it wasn’t a question.

“Ah. So you do remember last night.” Regina replies, letting go of the woman’s hand. She notices the phone in Emma’s other hand, the sticker from the bar last night still on it.

“Killian mentioned your name.” Emma nods, then steps back to let Regina through. She follows her to the kitchen, where Regina starts on getting her purse out of the pot, and trying to clean it. Emma at least looks sheepish at this.

“We forgot to clean up after..” She mumbles, scuffing her boots. Such a childlike behavior. Regina wasn’t going to say, “it’s alright”. Her bag was inside a pot, for God’s sake.

Emma instead starts moving the pots to the sink though, and Regina does stop her then, murmuring. “Yet he hasn’t mentioned you to me. Of course, he never does reveal who he is dating..”

“We’re not dating.” Emma says as she glances around the kitchen, finding an unused towel. She opens the hot water tap and fills the pots, then starts gently wiping at the crusted area. At least she knows how to clean.

“Oh?” Regina glances over to Emma, taking her in. “Are you with Gold’s Dealings, or Heart’s Associates?” She tries not to twitch at mentioning the last one. It comes naturally to her now.

“Neither. I’m the sheriff, local department.” Emma adds, when Regina still looks confused.

“Ah. I haven’t seen you around.” Regina lets out, and then mentally slaps herself. How more obvious could she be.

Emma raises brow at the suggestive comment. Regina raises her own, hand on her hip. “You do know my bar is right around the corner to your station?”

“Funny place to have a bar at.” Emma comments.

“Well, it helps to have the police nearby.”

“I just started. I don’t go out that much.” Emma explains with a shrug, seeming disinterested. She still hasn’t breached the subject, and Regina is done toying around about it. It’s up to the other woman if she wants to keep pretending, but that doesn’t mean she’ll pretend as well.

“Well then. I suppose I won’t see much of you then.” Regina smiles politely, one that really doesn’t mean anything polite. Emma stares, taken aback, eyes widening then frowning. She closes the tap and leaves the pots inside the sink, taking a step back. “Yeah? Whatever. I gotta go.” She mutters as she marches out of the kitchen, phone beeping signaling a missed call.

“Sheriff.” Regina nods stiffly, moving out of her way.

“Regina.” Emma bites out, and Regina’s surprised by the first name basis. Then makes her own way out to work, texting Hook on the way that he owes her a new purse.

**5.**

  
Days pass, and she finds herself forgetting the blonde (not really), focusing on her work (lies). She tells herself its only because she's never freaked out a girl to back out of a kiss before, and makes up for it with two different hookups within the same week, feeling confident that its nothing wrong with her, really, if she could still reel them in. Some days she does imagine what it would feel like, asking the person in bed next to her if she or he wants to stay the night. But she could never bring herself to ask, or imagine continuing their relationship further. It reminds her of the planned dates her mother would assign her and being expected to carry on a serious relationship. These kinds of string-alongs give her a sense of freedom, as well as not creating any worries about her focus on work. Though the past few week she does start to wonder if she should start taking on dating seriously. Or at least make some friends, besides Killian.

She finds herself coming back to the apartment early, one of those nights that the bar is empty and she only has to instruct her staff to close up. Making her way in, she only notices the extra glass at the kitchen counter when Emma walks past, shirt only, feet bare. The shirt barely covering her thighs, and Regina tries not to stare at how those long legs are well toned and – she stops herself from studying it further. She is not doing this. She forces herself to smile and look up at the woman, "hey.”

"Oh." The blonde has the decency to blush, which seems to make her grumpier. "I didn't know you were here."

"I do live here." Regina points out, taking out a bottle of water from the fridge behind her and turns around, frowning at the woman's tone.

"I meant, here as in being here early – nevermind." She dashes quickly to the restroom, and Regina tries not to notice the black thong the woman was in, or how it was her shirt she was wearing. Feeling her cheeks heat up like some kind of teenage boy, she strides to her room, noting that she should do more late shifts at the bar to avoid…this.

The next morning thankfully the blonde is nowhere in sight. She sips her coffee and looks over the newspaper when Hook’s door opens.

“Oh, you’re up early for today, are—“

“Hey” She looks up to see Emma looking frazzled, bag and phone in hand. She doesn’t get how this woman is even a sheriff at the constant way she is always looking lost.

She barely pays attention to Regina as she kisses an emerging Hook, mentioning about a 'kid being alone' then dashes off.

“Kid?” Regina lets out before she can stop herself. At least she waited till Emma was out of the apartment.

“Yeah, she has a little tyke; she was supposed to have a babysitter for the night.” Hook lets out a yawn in between, grumpily muttering, “had to go back to see him.”

The woman kept surprising her. The way she kept going on, she never thought Emma to have a kid. And despite trying not to think more about her, she does. If he had the same blonde curls as the blonde, or if his eyes sparkled like hers when she's caught embarrassed, or if he had the same grumpy attitude in the morning…

She catches herself mid-thought and chastises herself, promising herself to throw herself into work today. She is /not/ doing this, not over Hook's girlfriend.

 

**6.**

 

She could sense it from the buzz of the place. She could sense the tension, people being short with one another. Usually it dies down after a round of shots on the house. But when the crowd still doesn’t die down after that, she knows it going to be a rough night. At least she saw the first punch. She could then tell the police exactly what happened. He had a good punch, and it should have stopped. But then the other man didn't fall down, and punched back. Instantly, everyone starts hollering and pushing each other to see the fight.

Regina quietly hits the panic button under the counter. Once, when she was still a rookie and thinking just being herself and organized as she was, would be enough to stop a fight. She stepped in between two men, got a bruised lip and shoulder for that. Now she makes sure to call for back-up and not try to be the hero between drunken men. She sighs as they start hitting one another, sounding like bears amongst the bar music. Closing the cash machine, she makes sure that the other customers are far away from the brawling two, and gets her staff to form an organized exit for them to leave. She doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt. Knowing the station was only a building away helped keep her calm, but she wonders why they’re taking so long to come in. Then she spots the familiar blonde curls at the door.

She sees Emma making her way in, a scruffy man following her. Gone is the frazzled, hesitant blonde from the morning before. In comes striding a confident sheriff, hands steady as she pushes her way through, eyes confidently staring down at the drunk men causing the ruckus. She doesn’t even hesitate as she grabs one and pushes him away from the other, her partner taking in the other one. As easily as it happened, the brawl stops, and people aren’t yelling anymore. Regina could hear Emma’s serious tone as she cuffs the man, hands flexing at keeping him still. Her partner comes behind her to secure him.

Regina focuses on the people leaving, making sure no one tries to steal anything from the bar. A fight is always a good distraction for people to steal, and she makes sure that no one has the chance to. She can sense the blonde glancing her way, but she keeps focused on this until the crowd leaves, and it’s only the sheriff and her partner left, the brawlers already in the police car.

She makes sure her staff is okay after the commotion. Most of them are used to it by now, but a few of the rookies are shook up. She gives them the usual talk down, smiling with ease at them and making sure they feel safe to leave the bar. (and she makes sure Sidney doesn’t post any pictures or videos of the brawl, as he has a tendency to document mayhem and using it for his own social media gain).

Emma is there the whole time, leaning against the counter and watching her. She feels a bit frustrated at being observed, but ignores the blonde until everything is settled, and then makes her way back to her.

“Mills, everything okay?” The blonde addresses her, motioning to her partner to give her a moment.

“I haven’t been called Mills since law school.” Regina lets out, dragging a chair and taking a seat. She starts to feel the tiredness taking over, the events of the night taking its toll.

“You went to law school but still ended up here?” The blonde voices out, and Regina senses her hackles rising.

“Watch your tongue, Miss Swan.” Shes too tired for this kind of confrontation. She doesn’t care if the blonde is a sheriff.

“I’m sorry.” Emma lets out in surprise, looking at least sheepish, despite the tired eyes. “I mean, it is weird. That is all.”

“You don’t know me enough to know if that’s weird.” Regina mutters, turning around to take on the stock of the damage done to the bar. Emma keeps trailing her.

Her partner calls after her though, letting her know they’re ready to go.

“Alright.” Emma calls out to him then looks back to Regina, studying her back. “You sure you’re alright?”

“It’s nothing new, sheriff. Thank you, though, for coming in.” Regina comments, giving a slight nod towards the blonde’s direction. The blonde nods back and leaves, constantly gazing back at Regina.

 

**7.**

Regina heads back in early the next day to assess the damage. Besides some broken glasses, it seems nothing was amiss. She's impatient for her colleagues to come in to clean, and sets up on her own to remove the broken pieces. She gets into a pace when the front door opens.

"We're not open yet. If it’s a restroom, you can find one at McDonalds, one street down."

"Hey." Regina turns around at Emma's voice, raised brow in surprise.

"Lost your way, sheriff?" Regina calls out as she sets the broom against the counter, moving on to the cashier. 

Emma seeing no complaints from Regina, steps inside, making her way towards the brunette. "Just wanted to check up on you."

"Did Hook set you up on this?" Regina muses as Emma blushes slightly, though replies in a normal tone. "No, just myself." 

"Ah. Well then." Regina glances to the drinks on the counter, "I'm fine. Just some broken glasses."

"Good. That's good." Emma lets out a small smile, then seems to be at a lost. 

"Would you like a drink, sheriff?" 

"I'm on duty, but I wouldn't..I wouldn't mind water, if you have?"

Regina chuckles. "It's fine, Emma. And yes, we do have water. You can take a seat while I set up the place." Regina continues, sensing the blonde wasn't intending to leave anytime soon. She finds herself not minding the idea of having her there. 

"Are you sure? I don't want to bother you, I could head out – I just wanted to apologize for my behavior, up to now." Emma replies, emphasizing on the last part. Regina had an idea about what she was trying to apologize for, and felt disheartened. 

"No need to bring /that/ up again. And it's too early in the morning for serious talk. Just have that water while I set up, hm?" Regina replies, placing the glass of water infront of the blonde. Emma nods and follows orders, shrugging of her jacket as Regina turns on some music.

The Staple Singers voice start flowing through the bar, Regina and Emma each at their own task. Sunlight filters the bar as Regina makes her away around setting up, slow dancing her way around the room. Emma drinks and steals glances at the woman in motion, a smile escaping her lips. 

"So," Emma starts as Regina makes her way back to the counter, smiling this time and seeming much more relaxed. "Know any good places here that sells some decent hotdogs?"

Regina bites. And they start to talk. 

 

  
**8.**

“It’s funny how they don’t tell you. Oh, they will keep telling you that you’ll miss him, that it’ll be hard the first few days, the first few months. That they will be there for you, that you should keep yourself busy. Or that you will find someone else, eventually. But no one tells you that it’s not the sadness that kills you. It’s when you give up.”

Regina mentions nonchalantly, one night. Emma was there during closing time, chatting with a few of the locals. She was always somehow there, hovering in the back, not relaxing until Regina notices her presence. Then she would make her way to the front with a shy smile, taking a seat at the counter while Regina makes her way over, two Jack Daniels at the ready.

She doesn’t know what started the discussion. Perhaps Emma mentioned her relationship with Hook. Something about the vast difference between the two of them. With how the blonde was going on about her roommate, she would have doubted if they were even dating. Yet here they are, Emma having just finished her dinner with Killian before stopping by. Apart of that second night at the apartment, Emma has not slept over again. But Hook said they were dating, when she brought it up in passing one time. Emma doesn’t seem to realize that, since she keeps dissing the man, saying how she doesn’t get how Regina and Hook are friends. Then Daniel, sweet Daniel was brought up and Emma somehow knows about him.

She couldn’t find fault at Hook for telling her. Or maybe it was discussed at the station between officers. She didn’t care either way; their gossiping didn’t reach her now. She swallows the drink in whole before continuing, voice rough. “I can admit that I gave up. When he was taken from me, I was all alone, and she was the only one there for me.” Her voice breaks at the mention of her mother; she feels weak and foolish for letting her still have such an effect on her. She pushes on; she knows she can do this, should be able to do this. It’s been years since she was under her mother’s thumb. “I didn’t see a reason to live but she made sure I did.” She can’t help but to let out a bitter laugh at the truth, how Cora made it clear that to live was a better option than to die. That even then, she wouldn’t let her go. At the corner of her eye she could see Emma slowly reaching out her arm to hold her. She wasn’t sure if she would have pushed her away. They were that sort of friends, the touchy feely kind. Yet it always makes Regina’s heart flutter at any contact with the blonde.

“At what cost?” Emma murmurs. Her arm warm on Regina’s shoulder. It held her solid, made her stay in the moment instead of reliving the memories of the days she spent at her mother’s home.

“It didn’t matter.” Regina lets out, twirling her glass. “I was still breathing. I was still with her. As long as I was still there and listening to her orders, it was fine. Attending galas, having tea with her brigade group,” A snort escapes her then, her grip on the glass tightening. “Hosting parties under her ‘patronage’. I became a – doll of hers. Just this..shell, that didn’t care about anything. Except to smile, sit still and look pretty for our guests.” Regina shrugs, expecting Emma to say something. But the blonde doesn’t reply. She just keeps looking at Regina, her hand still resting atop of Regina’s, her drink long forgotten.

“Days passed, and it never came to me one day like “oh, I should change”.” She tries to remember how she came to be, what moment in that time made her change. She supposes it wasn’t that important since she can’t remember. “I just felt better being under her rules -- Just feeling nothing that was certainly much better than feeling anything, even the loss of Daniel. Especially that. I just wanted to forget, and my mother made it numb.” She dares a glance at Emma, the whole time her gaze was studiously fixed on her drink. She glances away after a moment, unable to continue her story if she was looking at the blonde.

“Who cares if I wasn’t myself. No one cared. So I didn’t.” Regina downs the rest of her drink as she murmurs the last of her words, Emma’s grip on her shoulder tightening. She was leaning somewhat towards her, blonde curls brushing against her cheek. It tickled so softly against her skin. She could see Emma closing her lips and opening them several times, licking them as she finds herself so ever closer.

“Regina…” Emma says her name with so much softness. It was always “Mills” or this or that, never her first name. From Emma’s lips, it didn’t sound so harsh. Nothing like when Emma calls her out in annoyance. She wanted to hear it again, leaning further into the blonde. Then she realizes who she is talking to.

“Hook.” She lets out, and with his name, the spell is broken. She can sense the whole bar coming into view, loud voices and drunken shuffles close by. She shifts in her seat, moving farther away from Emma. The blonde doesn’t seem to notice, her eyes only slowly blinking before she looks back at Regina. Her face was still so tempting – for what, she didn’t dare to follow through with that trail of thought.

“Killian?” Emma replies in a hesitant tone. It still sounded so funny hearing his real name on her tongue. She wonders how her own name would feel on the blonde’s tongue, her tongue on her skin –  
No. She won’t have these thoughts about her. Not her, not here.

“Killian..” Regina clears her throat, focusing on the subject. “He helped. He made me realize we do get second chances.” She remembers that, at least. How emotional and powerful he was at urging her, how he looked down so distastefully at her when she didn’t fight back her mother’s wishes. “I didn’t realize how different I felt until I made my first decision on my own. Doing something that had nothing to do with my mother, or my job.” The choice to work at the bar came randomly. She was just walking by and saw the flyer on the window and went in to apply. Oh, the dirty countertops and rowdy crowd nearly had her running back out, but something about the “HELP WANTED” sign had her brave enough to take those few steps inside and approach the bartender. He told her she was overqualified, but shrugged and took her on. “Taking on this bar lifestyle was the first time I did something for myself. It made me feel real.” She remembers her first clashes of plates breaking, her first tumble behind the counter, how she was able to cook up a real cocktail the first time. Then the year she went off to study mixology, her mother seething in all the formal letters she sent to her, asking about her circle of friends and social standing, never about her. “After that, well - I just resigned from my work. Killian offered me a place to stay. Mother didn’t know of course. It would have been harder to leave her grasp.”

“I’m glad you are here.” Emma gruffly stated, “It must have been…” and then gets up from her seat. Regina keeps gazing at her glass, ignoring the heat spreading through her when Emma leans in and gives her a hesitant hug. When Regina doesn’t brush her off, she tightens her hold and crushes her body into a real hug, the brunette’s eyes widening in surprise. She finds herself hugging back, feeling safety in those arms. As quickly as it happened, the blonde was off her in an instant, starting a discussion about her day and the dog they found outside the precinct. She doesn’t mention Hook again, or Regina’s friendship with him.

**9.**

She finds herself spending her off days with Emma and her son. She doesn’t ask Hook to tag along, and it doesn’t seem that he has an interest in Henry, despite still being very interested in his mother. Henry himself doesn’t say much about Hook. But he always lights up when he sees Regina, and doesn’t seem to mind her tagging along on his days with his mother.

She comes to learn that his favorite color is blue, he plays soccer at school (and his mom sometimes coaches them, earning an impressed glance from Regina), and he always, always likes creating his own stories. Emma always sheepishly tries to apologize for Henry’s constant bombarding her with questions and taking up her time to tell her anytime she listened, but Regina doesn’t mind. She enjoys the way Henry becomes obsessed with telling a story, and his renditions of the evil queen and snow white were always an interesting story to hear.

Today he wants to write a story just for her, and she sits down to prepare herself, Emma frying eggs on the pan while Henry sits at the counter, opening his notebook to a filled up page.

“Oh my, you’ve really delved into creating my story.” Regina muses, trying to distract herself from how adorable Emma looked in an apron. She has already been threatened into silence when she suggested to the sheriff that she should pose for some pictures in it for the station calendar.

“I am trying to write a masterpiece.” Henry tells her studiously, eyes furrowed in concentration as he continues writing. Regina entertains herself with teasing Emma about her cooking skills, until Henry announces he’s ready to tell them the story.

“Once upon a time, there was a girl who wanted to be free. So she ditched her degrees and went off to live with a pirate as a bartender.”

“That doesn’t sound like a realistic story.” Scrunching her nose, she tries to get a peek of what the kid is reading, only to have him shift over to his mom. She tries to not panic at how accurate it sounds, and wonders if Emma has told him some kind of kid version about her, and whether she should be angry. But all she does feel is calm and warmth spreading through her at being in the same room as Emma and her son.

“Shh, I’m still working on it.” Henry huffs, keeping the notebook close to his chest. His pout reminds her so much of Emma, she feels a squeezing tightness in her chest. She wonders if Emma has any baby pictures around. She would love to see those.

Emma chuckles, ruffling his hair. “He has a very imaginative way of seeing stuff. It is accurate though,” she continues, glancing to Henry’s passage, then back to Regina with a smile.

“I do think he’s bias towards that.” Regina mutters, suddenly aware of the splatter on her shirt and the mess she left her hair in. She forgot about the failure cooking lesson she tried to have with the kid, before Emma got back home. At least Emma doesn’t seem to mind the mess they have left her kitchen in.

“Probably gets it from his mother.”

"Ew, can you guys like, not flirt in front of me." The kid huffs. Regina is suddenly aware of how close she’s standing next to Emma.

"We're not –"

"She's not flirting with me!" Regina protests, cheeks turning red.

"Mhm." Henry comments, tapping his pencil against the notebook. "Anyway, I didn't finish my story, but you're gonna be in it a lot!" He smiles, eyes still glancing nervously at her.

She smiles warmly, "Oh my, that would be a lovely thing. Thank you, Henry." She tells him, and can feel Emma reaching for her arm and giving it a gentle squeeze before reaching for Henry's book. “Can you get a move on and set up for dinner, I’ve got it almost ready.”

He hops off the kitchen stool, and Regina watches as they move in sync around the kitchen, preparing dinner and feeling herself part of the family ritual, if for a moment.

\---

"Okay, kiddo. Time for bed." Emma announces, reaching for the mugs of hot chocolate. Hers and Henry were filled with cinnamon, and despite giving it a try, Regina forgoes it and goes for just marshmallows in hers.

"Aww, do I have to?" He whines, but he still lets Emma carry him off. Regina stands unsure, if she should leave or not. But Emma looks back to her wondering why she’s not coming and Regina follows her instead.

"Oof kid, you're getting heavy! What have you been eating? Horses??" Emma huffs, as Regina follows, feeling out of place yet can't help but to follow them, like a moth to a flame. They're Hook's, they're not hers, she can't be a part of this. But oh, how she wants to be something to Henry, and his mother.

Henry's laugh drags her out of her thoughts. "I didn't eat any horses!"

"Hmm. If you say so." Emma says, a smile in her voice. She gets him to bed, and lets Regina tuck him in as well. Emma studies them as they talk, feeling a strange hold take over her. It has always been just her and Henry, and now Regina has come in and fit so easily into their pattern, as though she has always been there.

It doesn't take long to get Henry to sleep, an arm tucked into Regina's hand while the other held by Emma, and somehow it seems perfect, despite not belonging to one another.

**10.**

 

 

"You can't use her like that, Killian." Regina tells him gently, reaching for his arm. They've argued this a million times, somehow always ending back at this point. She cups his hand with her own, eyes steady. They weren’t one for showing emotions, hugs and the sort, but she felt this was needed to come across to him. They were back at their apartment, Emma having left after some sort of tension with Hook. Regina forced him to tell her what the problem was, and he mumbles quickly under his breath that he mentioned Milah’s name during a sensitive moment. She couldn’t believe the stupidity he was at dealing with people outside the law practice.

"I honestly like her, Mills." He laughs, shrugging her concerns off. She bites back her reply, knowing how he doesn't believe her right now. He does honestly seem to like her, and they've been together for a while for her to know it’s not one of his usual one night stands. But she remembers how Emma kissed her, and maybe..maybe they have discussed it? It isn't her business. But she can see the change and the obsession in Hook, whereas Emma is just distant.

"No matter what you think, you can't force your feelings on her." Regina doesn't know if the warning is for herself or for Hook.

"It seems to work with you and Cora." Hook argues back, then realizes what he's said. Regina winces at his words, trying to push back the desire to strangle him.

"I'm sorry, love, I didn't mean –"

"You're right. It is none of my business." She lets go of Hook's hand. "Just be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt."

\---

“Hey Swan! Did you get your kid a sitter or something?” One of the officers hollers over. Some of them have come in their uniforms, while Emma and a few others had time to change. Regina had persuaded the blonde to come along as well. She didn’t think it would work until she spotted the blonde in the club, sitting stiffly at the bar yet with a smile on her face when she spots Regina. Regina herself was dressed up, more skin showing compared to her usual wear for the club. She could sense Emma studying her over, and bites back a remark when the woman doesn’t throw out any comments.

“Yeah?” Emma replies, albeit distracted. She was distant when she stopped by today, barely smiling or taking a dig at her. Killian didn’t mention anything, so Regina didn’t think it was anything serious, just an off day.

“Glad to see you finally out of the station, blondie.” Another officer comments, nudging Emma’s shoulder. She just smiles and keeps a hold of her drink, staring into it. Regina couldn’t tell what was on her mind, but seeing as the club was bolstering with people and drinks flowing easily between their groups, she doubted this would be an appropriate place for any meaningful talk to occur. She tries, though.

“You okay?” Regina calls over to Emma. Emma glances back to her, pausing as she studies the brunette before lowering her glass. Regina raises her brow, waiting, but Emma’s answer gets swallowed up as Ruby comes crashing into them, wearing a dog leash around her neck with a mini dog-house over her head. Regina and Emma bursts out laughing, taking in the sight of Ruby’s horrible outerwear. She was supposed to pay her debt, but no one actually believed she would do it. Regina is glad Ruby is such a team player to take in her losing bet in stride. It has at least pulled Emma out of her cloud, as the blonde actually grins, the cautious expression leaving her face for the moment.

“Now that’s some leash, dear.” Regina hums, tugging at the collar. Images of a certain blonde wearing something similar flashes in her mind, and she quickly takes another swallow of whiskey to erase it from her mind. She feels her skin heating up at just the thought, and having Emma standing by so close didn’t help. Chastising herself for even carrying this on, she fiddles with her collar, dragging Emma’s attention to her neck. She could see Emma glancing over, and maybe it’s her mind playing tricks on her, making her think that Emma actually seemed to be staring at the way her shirt opened at the third button. But the blonde kept her stance, chatting with the other deputy.

“It comes with the dog house.” Ruby grinned. She wraps an arm around a laughing Regina, and Emma’s smile starts to dim. It’s funny how Regina could easily read Emma’s expressions now. The others don’t seem to notice the change.

“Hey, how about you and me dance?” Ruby distracts her, leaning in but her voice still loud. The girl has a certain flare to her, and Regina usually doesn’t play into it. God knows how many times Ruby has shown an interest in her. But the way Emma keeps glancing to them with a frown on her face makes her change her mind for tonight.

“I have a much better idea.” Regina muses, and Emma’s face darkens. Regina hops off the stool, trying not to be disheartened by Emma’s reaction. She will not have Emma’s low value of her affect her. If she’s good enough to hang with the sheriff, then she damn well is good enough to flirt and date her co-workers.

She drags Ruby by the hand, away from their table and onto the dance floor, feeling Emma’s gaze burning her back the whole time. She doesn’t stop until they cross the dance floor and head over to a secluded cove, feeling Ruby’s grin and arms moving lower down her body.

 

**11.**

They mess around a bit, the music loud and sultry as they keep on kissing and teasing each other for most of the hour. But it doesn’t go anywhere, as Regina gently breaks off a kiss, resting her head against Ruby’s shoulder. She smiles easily, and Ruby stops her hands from reaching for more, sensing the change in the other brunette. The deputy lets out a sigh a few minutes after, pressing a kiss to Regina’s head. “And here I thought I would get my way with you tonight.”

“Mhm. Perhaps better luck next time.” Regina murmurs, eyes fixed on Emma’s back amongst the crowd.

\---

Ruby is fun to hang out with though, and Regina stays with her for the rest of the night. She enjoys the time she spends with the deputy, despite their abrupt make-out session. In secret, the other reason – besides enjoying Ruby’s company and having her all to herself - that also kept her hanging with the deputy instead of going back to their group, was that she didn’t feel like going back with Emma still there. Eventually she would confront the blonde about her obvious disapproval of Regina. She would have confronted her earlier, but with Emma, she didn’t want to lose her if it ended in an argument. She really wanted to try and keep Emma’s friendship, the only one she truly had in a while, besides Hook. She knows how to win Hook back after a fight, but she was still finding her way with Emma.

Ruby eventually drags her outside, where they find a staircase that isn’t too dirty to sit on.

“I see the way you look at Emma.” Ruby tells her in a sing song voice, leaning into her.

“She’s straight.” Regina scoffs, taking another puff of smoke. Another thing to add to the everlasting list of Cora’s disapproval in her. Maybe Emma and her mother should have lunch one time, discussing all the deficiencies they find in Regina. She would like that, though she wouldn’t think her mother would actually deign to sit with Emma. An unmarried woman with a child and working in the police station – whatever would society think at a Mills household holding party with such a person.

“Mhm. Sometimes.” Ruby sighed, leaning down to rub at the dirt on her boots. Her leash clangs against the metal pins on her jacket, dragging Regina from her murky thoughts. “What?”

“The way she talks about you…. I don’t know, it makes me wonder.” Ruby hums. Images of a drunken Emma, kissing her back, fills her head. They never discussed that night.

“She’s dating Killian.” Regina simply replies, not letting herself be dragged into this conversation.

“Are /you/ dating anyone?” Ruby looks at her, eyes sharp all of a sudden. She didn’t seem so drunk then, an earnest grin on her face.

“Are you interested?” Regina teases, one perfect brow raised. She could feel Ruby blushing, shifting in her seat.

“Maybe. But… I don’t like to date women who pine over others.” She says without judgment, her tone excluding any harshness in it.

“I don’t pine--!” Regina bursts out in protest, hands gesticulating towards the bar. “She’s not my type, at all.”

“Mhm. You’re still okay in my book, Mills.” Ruby chuckles, getting off the steps. She stretches, shirt riding up to reveal perfect abs. Regina briefly considers the option, of a future where she and Ruby were dating, bringing her in to meet her mother in that ridiculous getup. But images of Emma and her laughter, her smile pop in between those scenarios and she sighs, flicking her cigarette towards the trashcan.

“Come by for drinks anytime, dear.” Regina murmurs as they head in, Ruby looping her arms with her again.

“Oh, I don’t know, this is Emma’s turf pretty much.”

Regina raises a brow at that, about to ask her what she means when Emma comes trolling towards them, still looking conflicted. Regina prepares herself to be ignored by Emma, but the blonde stops right next to her, glancing to their looped arms momentarily before back to Regina.

“Hey, I got to go, the sitters leaving soon. Did you need a ride home?” She tells Regina, and the brunette is surprised by the offer.

"Yes. That would be lovely.” She gently releases her arm off Ruby, and after saying her goodbyes, follows Emma out, trying to catch up to her long strides. The blonde doesn’t say anything on the ride home, but it isn’t tense in the car. Just…confusing, as Emma keeps looking like she wants to say something, but doesn’t. She doesn’t comment about her time with Ruby, and Emma doesn’t say anything about her tensed behavior.

When they reach Regina’s apartment and Emma doesn’t park the car, Regina glances to her. “Are you not coming up to meet Hook?” Usually she wouldn’t intrude, but it seems weird not to ask.

“Sitter at home.” Emma reminds her.

“Oh, yes. Of course.” She unbuckles her seat and reaches for the door, already thinking of setting her alarm clock for tomorrow a little bit later.

“Regina.” Emma bites out as Regina reaches the building door, and then stays quiet. Regina keeps looking for any sign from the blonde, but she only shakes her head and looks over with a smile. “See you tomorrow?”

Regina smiles back. “Yes, dear. See you then.”

**12.**

  
“I’m breaking it off.” Emma announces all of a sudden.

“Breaking what off?” Regina huffs back, brows furrowing. She is only momentarily distracted by the outburst but then keeps about going down the checklist, taking a mental inventory of the license expiry date as well of the bottles left after the long week. With payday and a national holiday in the same month, she had a lot of new people diving into the bar, celebrating and spending their money on her girl’s rendition of party people. She packed up enough money to give some of the staff a break, a rare occasion that her employees are grateful for. But it leads her to do all the menial tasks. She didn’t mind it, it kept her well informed of the daily activities of the bar, and things she can’t pay attention to while she was bartending.

She was barely now paying attention to Emma’s rambling about the taco stand guy on 5th avenue when the blonde started in on that abrupt change of discussion. The sheriff had a tendency of dropping by after work this past week, drumming up excuses about patrol but every time ending up hanging with Regina in the stock room. She would lean against the wall behind Regina and chat as the brunette took inventory. It was a nice feeling; she didn’t feel so claustrophobic with the blonde there, despite the cramped room space. She enjoyed the blonde’s company, and sometimes her help with carrying the heavy boxes to the higher shelves. Regina especially enjoyed how the blonde’s arms would flex and glisten in that tiny room in those moments. Up until now, when those arms are staying still and the woman becoming suddenly quiet, the silence between them moved from soothing to tense awkwardness. Regina paused counting the bottles when the blonde didn't reply, glancing upwards from her space to where Emma stood, wondering why she looked so tense.

“With Killian. I can’t – I can’t do this anymore. I’m going to stop seeing him.” It rushes out, yet remains standing, hands digging further into her back pockets. It’s only in her rushed tone, sounding as though she is seeking forgiveness that gives away the importance of her confession.

“Oh.” She tones down any feelings that arise from the statement. Caught between rising hope and thoughts of Killian’s own anguish when he will get the news, she turns back to the shelves, glancing at the first and second drawers. The Jack Daniels was missing. “We’ll still be friends, right?” She holds onto the inventory list, trying to sound casual as she stands up and starts’ turning off the lights. She turns around to face Emma with what she hopes is an unfazed expression, hiding underneath it her heart fluttering anxiously as Emma follows after her. She already felt the dread taking over, if this would be their last conversation together.

“Of course! Gods, yes.” The sheriff answers back quickly, relieved, a smile brightening her face at such an easy question. Regina instantly smiles back as well; glad she would still have contact with Emma and her son. She doesn’t know how, but Henry has taken residence of her heart, and she never passes a day without text messaging him, as well as his mother. Though she couldn’t help to tone down the disappointment she felt. She was glad that meant she would still see Emma around. They were friends, after all. Just friends.

**13.**  
**Months Later**

  
Just their usual get together. If you told Regina that a year ago she would have a kid hanging at her bar, she would have snorted (classy snort, of course) and scoffed. But here she is, Henry drawing at the counter while she and Emma flick popcorn pieces at each other. They were having a movie night – day, really, - and the bar opening later than usual to have it all for themselves. Henry was drawing their poster for the movie chosen. It took them time to decide, as Regina and Henry both wanted an Avengers movie, while Emma kept insisting on Finding Nemo. Being double teamed had the blonde pouting, and Regina and Henry both kiss each cheek to perk her up (Regina remembers their first night, always, how Emma freaked out, and she’s hesitant in cheek kisses still, even months after. But Emma keeps steady now everytime, offering her cheek for the woman, and she wonders if she’ll ever get more than that. But for now, she’s happy. For now, this is all she wants.)

“I get dibs on the remote!” Henry yells as she tackles the couch, Emma and Regina following him to sit on either side. Emma’s hand naturally finds Regina’s to hold behind the kid, and Regina presses a kiss to Henry’s forehead. Those kisses come easily, her love for him comes so easily, and he has accepted her wholeheartedly, she can’t imagine how her life was before she met him. Either of them, for that matter. She thinks of Hook momentarily, and feels a pang in her heart. Despite not being roommates anymore or a constant in each other’s lives, she will always appreciate his friendship.

And Emma smiling, smiling, smiling so brightly you can just feel the sunlight in the room coming from her. She warms up her life, and the pain of it not becoming anything more than this doesn’t hurt that much in those moments. She’s glad Emma still comes to see her, even after breaking it off with Hook. She doubts she could have lived without the blonde’s presence in her life. Lived, perhaps yes, - but to actually feel a life that has become the norm with Emma in her life. She feels more, more than she thought was possible, and embarrassingly finds herself tearing up at the most random thing.

As the movie ends, Emma reaches over to cup Regina’s cheek, trying not to laugh at the chocolate covering the corner of her lip. She rubs her thumb over it, trying to get it off, and finally does laugh, Regina huffing at the childish treatment. Henry dashes off to get the next film, and Emma keeps her hand there, and Regina’s eyes catch hers, a knowing smile on her lips. This time, when Regina reaches over to kiss her, Emma doesn’t push her back. And it feels like this is how their story should end, that they finally reached where they are supposed to be. Here, together with Henry, kissing as though it’s the most natural thing in the world. The rest can wait, but for now, she’s glad kissing Emma is something she’s allowed to do, and receive.


End file.
